Hearts first in UK with mobile app for food and beverages

Edinburgh, UK – March 1st, 2013 – Mobile technology company,QikServe, today announced the first deployment of a mobile app that allows supporters to buy food and beverages at a UK sporting event. The QikServe app is being rolled out at Tynecastle Stadium, home of Heart of Midlothian Football Club.

On March 2nd, a section of the home supporters at Hearts’ game against Motherwell will be able to use their Android or iOS smartphones to place orders for their food and drinks during the match.

“We are delighted to be the first football club in Britain to use mobile technology in this way to give our supporters more flexibility in the way they access concessions during a match,” said David Southern, Managing Director, Heart of Midlothian F.C. “Our supporters are the best in the country and we do all we can to ensure that they have the best possible match day experience.”

QikServe has partnered with Hearts’ catering company, Saltire Hospitality, to offer over 3,000 supporters in Tynecastle’s Wheatfield Stand the unique opportunity to skip the queues and have their orders delivered direct to their seats. Following this initial deployment, QikServe will be rolled out across the stadium in stages throughout 2013.

Using a simple web-based interface, the QikServe App can be easily customised by Saltire to offer any items it chooses. In future, the app could be configured to offer a wider range of food and beverage options, or even to offer non-food items such as match programmes, memorabilia or even items from the club shop.

“This is a UK first in terms of the use of mobile technology for ordering at a football match,” said Martin McAvoy, Business Development Manager at Saltire Hospitality. “At Saltire, we look to make use of new and innovative technologies to help improve the customer experience and QikServe ticks all the boxes.”

The QikServe App, already proven in sectors including casual dining and hotel room service is available as a free download, and allows secure payment via credit card or Paypal. Supporters that have downloaded the app will be able to scan 2D barcodes (QR codes) on their seats to be presented with a menu offering a list of food and beverage options and will be able to place orders throughout the first and second halves. QikServe orders will be put on hold during the half-time period, while the concessions kiosks are at their busiest.

“The classic pie and Bovril combination is a British football tradition and that will never change, but our goal is to use mobile technology to bring that tradition into the 21st century,” said Dan Rodgers, Founder, QikServe. “The convenience of ordering from your seat is a perk normally reserved for the executive boxes, but QikServe makes it possible for everyone!”

The QikServe App connects to the QikServe platform over the internet using a mobile data connection. The QikServe platform is a highly available, cloud-based service which stores and processes orders, routing them to Saltire’s ordering systems. Currently available for Android and iOS (iPhone, iPad), the QikServe App will soon also be available for Windows devices.

About QikserveMobile technology specialist, QikServe was founded in 2011 by a team of mobile self-service experts with over 12 years mobile technology development and business experience. The company’s goal is to radically change and improve the casual dining experience for customers by providing a mass adoption self-serve system. For more information, visit: www.qikserve.com